In many implementations of a ring laser gyroscope (RLG), controlling electronics for the RLG modulate the path length of the lasers while observing the laser power. The controlling electronics adjust the path length to maintain peak power. In operation of the RLG, the controlled magnitude of the modulation affects the performance of the RLG. For example, a larger modulation may negatively impact the performance of the RLG. Also, RLGs, as they near the end of their life cycle, may experience a decrease in laser power. In this situation, to detect a laser power peak, the modulation may be set to a fixed amplitude having sufficient magnitude for the lower laser power, however, the larger amplitude used for the end of the life cycle may be too large for the RLG at the beginning of the life cycle.